ALL 3920 - Topics in Asian Culture
Exploring India: Languages, Literatures, and Film
4:00 - 5:15 p.m. TTh
Instructor: Dr. Sungok Hong
Exploring India: Languages, Literatures, and Film
4:00 - 5:15 p.m. TTh
Instructor: Dr. Sungok Hong
This is a survey course of the culture of Indian languages, including as seen through literature and film. This course will explore the languages of India from genealogical, linguistic, typological, historical and sociological perspectives. We will explore the literatures of several main South Asian languages with a focus on Hindi - Urdu literatures and film, considering their origins, periodization, and names during each period. We will also examine the important writers and their representative work along with the literary trends and influences, including political, social, and cultural situations which helped to shape the writers and their work.
Indian films, including those based on literature, have attained a very special place in the lives of Indian people as an important means of entertainment, reaching a larger audience that will not or cannot read the original work. The second half of this course will be spent on screening selected Hindi/Urdu films and discussing themes and messages that the writers try to convey to readers/audiences, and any cultural or social issues that need to be addressed. Students will have a chance to read English translations of some of the selected Hindi/Urdu works.
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